Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-09-14
A GRAND sCHRME
SENATOR STANFORD,S PLAN POR
BUILDING UP THE STATE,
A Noble Work Contemplated by the
Southern Pacific Company in
Aid Of Home-Seekers.
rs. F. Chronicle. september lstb,l


poration, as is well known, holds the keys
of immigration to this State in its hands.
When under stress of bitter competition it
reduced the through emigrant rate to a
merely nominal sum last year it brought
to our shores thousands OF persons of lin
tied means, among them many able-bo1ied
young men, who came here to grow ND
with the country and share its prosperity.
1t Is known for a fact that the general run
of these immigrants, who came here solely
for the reason that they could come
cheaply, have settled down in our midst.
some of them to join the army of hewers of
wood and drawers of water, but the great
majority to till the soil and assist in devel-
oping the agricultural resources of the
State.
1t is the knowledge OF this that has set
Senator Stanford to thinking. He has
taken up train of thought which proba-
bly, no other railroad President in Amer
lea ever hit upon before
This idea is free immigration to Califor
MIA
1t is proposed to do away entirely with
the tax levied by the railroad on incoming
settlers, so far as the lines of the Southern
Pacific Company are concerned The East
ern railroad companies will be asked to
join in the scheme, and make their fare to
this class of passengers as low as they can
without suffering any loss in the way of
expense. Senator Stanford believes that
he can secure the cooperation of the other
lines in an arrangement by which each
will accept its proportion of as low a rate
as $l5 between Chicago and this city.
The present rate of fare is SAT so, 50
that the reduction would be about 60 per
cent. Between Ogden and this city the
Southern Pacific Company will haul immi-
grants free, and it is likely that the Union
Pacific will be prevailed upon to make a
nominal rate, so that from the Missouri
river the total expense of passage would
be about S., not including meals, although
the giving of free table as well as railway
fare has been considered, and may vet be
adopted.
Senator Stanford knows that this plan is
a bold one, and is likely to subject him to
the ridicule of Eastern railroad magnates,
who never do anything for nothing, unless
a question of policy is involved. He will
show, however, that indirectly the plan is
not wholly an unselfish one, but that the
selfishness is Of that enlightened order
which benefits all parties concerned.
The Senator's plan has not been fully
elaborated and time must be taken in fill
ing in the details, now that the rough
! sketch has been drawn. If adopted, as it
is very likely to be, the scheme will be
based on these conditions, which must
rule the traffic under considerations
First-The free-fare privilege will be
exclusively for immigrants and their fami-
lies.
Second-It must be shown to the salts
faction of the railroad oompany's agents
that the travellers stay in California is
not to be transient, otherwise full fare must
be paid.
Third-The passenger must contract
with the company not to transfer his
ticket to Others.
Fourth-He must give some proof of
his intention to take up permanent resi-
dence on this coast.
Although the third condition is seem
, ingly simple one with which to make
people comply, it is the danger involved
in the possible transfer of tickets which
alone causes the leading spirits of the
Southern Pacific Company to hesitate in
putting the free-ticket system in force.
They know from experience that where
local fares are high and through fares are
low the scalper is bound TO steal insid-
iously to the front and shave off revenue
wherever he can. How much more reve-
nue. he would succeed in shaving off we're
free through fares to be set against high
local fares only skilled railroad fnan-
cier could estimate
To prevent scalping, tie contract of the
passenger with the company is not held to
be sufficient, as past experience has fully
shown. Unless the most careful watch is
set upon it, the system would no doubt fail
on this account, as the railroad company
could not afford to have the privilege of
free travel abused by its transfer to persons
not entitled thereto within the meaning of
the plan proposed.
One scheme by which this evil might be
avoided, and which has already been sug-
gested to Messrs Stanford, Gage and
| Crocker, is that instead of allowing the
| free ticket holders to string along the route
| and hauo y,1a .txy for trop
| ring their privileges, the immigrants
tickets being good for passage only up to
certain day, and each party being in
charge of an agent, who saw to it that no
such transfer was made.
1t is more than probable that such
plan as this will be adopted, and that the
knotty point of scalping will be overcome
Unless they see their way clearly in this
matter the general plan will not be put in
operation by the railroad people
Senator Stanford feels that while invit-
ing the criticism of that part of the travel
ing public which is to receive no benefit
from the plan, no real injustice will be
done. Those who are able to paw first
class fare would not ride in third-class
cars, even if they were free, while the ma
jority of the so-called emigrants ride
in them merely because they can get a
cheap rate, and they are not privileged to
growl at free travel under the conditions
by which it is to be granted. At least, so
the railroad people hold, and it would APP
pear that they are not far from right
In speaking of the subject to friend re-
Gently, Mr.. Stanford said:
had rather that 10000 people come
to this State at a SIS rate of fare than that
$4,000 came at $50"
In this one sentence the Senator's views
on the matter are tersely summed up, and
the fact is fully set forth that he sees very
clearly how his roads would receive in
time the benefit which increased popula-
ton and rapid development of resources
afford to any line OF railway.